The post where I drop all pretenses.

If you have not yet heard Uematsu Hidemi, do yourself a favor and listen to her NOW.

Did you press play yet? No? What is wrong with you? Do it. NOW.

Okay, now that you have listened to/watched the video, we can move on. (You have, right?)

Because there’s already a blog dedicated to promoting Hidemi as a godsend, I’ll spare you my own godsend praises in giving you an introduction, short of her being a 23-year-old singer-songwriter. TRAUMA, the video above, is not her latest single –  but it’s the second of two tracks on her debut single (her second, Jidai, comes out early next month) and extremely touching.

As you have heard by now (I’m sure you’ve heard it, yes?), Hidemi’s got a strong voice and fairly unique. It’d be simple but unflattering to describe her singing as a mix of AI and alan (or perhaps as a friend of mine puts it, enka singing), but it’s the best description that comes to mind at the moment. As for her music, it seems best to reference Amano Tsukiko.

TRAUMA, above, is a powerful song combining a steady drum & bass with various grandstanding strings and a twinkling synth. The music alone evokes sad emotions and a rainy mood, but it’s Hidemi’s raw vocals that make the biggest impact on this song. If YouTube comments can be trusted, the song is supposedly about the father who left her and her mother, and explains the hook of cries to “daddy” (i.e., “I need you need you Daddy” and “I’m crying crying Daddy”) leading up to the dramatic (if amusing) “dundundundundundundun Remember” that ends the chorus. This will grow and catch on you, but it’s a moving track even without the draw of the hook.

Dear My Friends, the first track of her debut single, is a more acoustic track, with tempo kept by a combination of handclaps and drumbeats. Again, Hidemi’s vocals are the main focus of the song, soulful in their delivery. You pretty much expect a gospel choir to pop up, singing along with her in the chorus, and though they never appear, the song isn’t any lacking for it. That the music stops suddenly as she wails out “Friends” in the end adds a stronger emotion to the song, something that is oft used to the right effect but never quite as touching as it is here.

If you actually just read through this post without giving either of the above songs a listen, you should be ashamed of yourself. What are you reading my blog for if not for me to push things onto you? Hurry and give Hidemi a listen. If you have the same taste in music as me (and I would assume you might to be reading this blog), it’s not likely you’ll regret it.

Dangerous Girls are the Most Fun Kind.

Kuroki Meisa makes me a very very Bad Girl.

A little over half a year ago, I posted on her video Like This and remarked on her similarities to two other acts – career-wise, to one Yamada Yu. Image/song wise, to one Amuro Namie.

Well now we can throw a little Koda Kumi into the mix too.

Wait, did I say a little? I meant a lot.

And girl, do I approve. Kuroki’s clearly taken a few stripper dance classes since her first video and brings out all the sexy you ever wanted but were too afraid to ask for. Complete with inappropriate panting, lots of shots into her cleavage, wild tossing of hair, pelvic thrusting  and just her general sexy looks. Unfortunately her vocals don’t seem to have improved any, but fortunately the song – a heavily synthed R&B affair – is such that good vocals aren’t required to carry the song. It’s a fun listen, and that’s all it needs to be.

Would it be bad to say I became seriously attracted to her during this? Because she’s right, you know. “Love is not everything,” not when you have as much sex appeal as she does. Admittedly, sometimes the sexy did feel bit overemphasized, like they were afraid the song wouldn’t sell without the boobs and the thrusts. But once you grow to accept it as an essential part of the song’s being, it works. And for those who can’t handle the imagery from the video, the song is sexy in its own right.

I’d still sort of like it if she had grown into her own, instead of being a combination of various selling points. However, perhaps this is exactly what Meisa is and is meant to be, because so far it seems to be working. And to be honest, right now I’ll take this over any sign of actual musical talent. Vocal ability is not everything either.

Do you get her?

Recently a little girl by the name of Kylee has been making a fuss in the NEWS fandom circle.

If you’re used to my style of posting, just the fact that I’ve bolded her name tells you she’s not a fangirl, she’s important.

You see, one Tegoshi Yuya is currently filming a movie titled Nakushita Kioku, and early on rumors buzzed that Emma Roberts would be playing the role of his girlfriend. Then it became Kiritani Mirei, and now we have finally landed on Kylee. I’ve got to say the girl has some smart management, because amidst all this buzz, she released her first single VACANCY. I can’t tell you the sales data, but I obviously took notice of it.

According to her official MySpace, Kylee is a 14-year-old half-Japanese, half-American girl from Arizona. (Well, I would certainly hope she’s a girl.) Well, that’d also explain her lack of an English accent despite that she sings only in that language.

Kylee’s a fairly pretty girl, and considering she’s only 14, she’s got a nice voice and a good sense of how to work the camera. A bit unfortunately, her music sounds very much like one Avril Lavigne’s, sticking her in the guilty pleasure category for me; though it’s somewhat understandable given she lists various rock bands among her favorite artists. Go ahead, play the video for You Get Me above if you don’t believe me.

But what really gets me (no pun intended) is her mouth. You see, Kylee has braces. This by itself is not a problem. I have braces. And the girl is only 14, the approximate age when braces are most often worn anyways.

However, Japan is the land of magical teeth correction. They will either leave the bad teeth in there, or get surgery (but that sounds a lot better as “magical teeth correction,” don’t you agree?) Take, well, Tegoshi for instance. Early pictures of him in NEWS have him as a very very awkward teenager. In this picture, ex-bandmate Kusano (a full year younger so also very much in puberty) is much less awkward than him – and Kusano cleans up nicely without it being too unbelievable. But my Kusano bias aside, note Tegoshi’s teeth. Here’s another, frontal picture for your reference too.

Then take a look at the Tegoshi of now. This entire time he was in the spotlight, and even Invisalign couldn’t have taken more than half the credit for that. Hence, I say “magical teeth correction.” (Granted, I think Tegoshi got himself the whole fairy godmother schtick too, because NEWS seriously needed the eyecandy magic after both Uchi and Kusano got the boot, but sadly we’ll never have confirmation of that.) This is not only the case with Johnny’s, but everywhere. Think of Tsuji Nozomi’s fangs, once upon a time. The concept of crooked teeth has become viewed as a “cute” trait, but there is still an effort made to correct it. We just never see the effort.

So with all that as a precedent, Kylee is rocking out with her braces in full view is a very admirable thing in my opinion. It’s an added bonus for her as a singer that a newer wave of overseas Japanese pop fans and potential converts – that is, the teenyboppers - can possibly identify with (because they “get” her), but for others, there’ll be a bit of a hurdle to overcome. And despite my fixation on her teeth, I’ll be looking forward to what happens.

Like the creepy-crawlies they are.

In the last quarter of 2006, I watched Remote starring Domoto Koichi and became a fan of Tsuyoshi’s Toilet-on-a-White-Horse. (Unless you’re a KinKi fan, spare yourselves and don’t ask. And even if you are, spare yourself and don’t ask.)

In the last quarter of 2007, I watched Yamada Taro Monogatari starring Ninomiya Kazunari and Sakurai Sho and was condemned to being just another of the many in the ranks of overseas Johnny’s fans.

In the last week of 2008, I watched the music video for 呪文－MIROTIC－ [Jumon -MIROTIC-] by Tohoshinki/Dong Bang Shin Ki/TVXQ/that group with far too many names for my liking and am now endangered.

Tell me something I don’t know

I’ve listened to Japanese music for probably 9/10 years now. They didn’t get the brainwashing in too early, but it’s there all the same.

I’ve actively considered myself a fan of various artists for 6/7 years. It’s a bit of a scary thought.

But there are still some things I can’t wrap my head around.

Bet on them or not?

I’ve been informed that I’m pretty lacking as an AAA fan of late, and also because I’ve sort of just left them hanging on this blog. This is apparently not allowed, and justice must be done, especially before their next album comes up.

So let’s go back in time a bit and finish up with the boys-only efforts, before they stopped being an actual boyband and went back to being a boyband with two (possibly 4) girls in it. I’m referring, of course, to the official release, CHOICE IS YOURS.